Puller.



J. 'W. REES.

PULLER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1. 1915.

Patented Sept. 26,1916,

In uenzor; dsse Wees.

IINITED STATES PAT GFIC JESSEW. REES, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

FULLER.

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, Jnssn WV. Rnns, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Pullers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in pullers, for use in stretching wires, removing stumps of trees from the ground and other purposes where tensional tightening devices can be employed.

My invention is designed to impart a powerful pulling movement by the simple turning of a shaft, the parts of the structure being so arranged as to convert revolving motion into a pulling effort with a minimum amount of friction and loss of power and with even distribution of forces, whereby any binding or pinching effect of the moving parts is obviated.

To these ends my invention comprises the features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more particularly described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my invention partly in section and partly broken away; Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line X-X of Fig. 1, partly broken away, and Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line YY of Fig. 2.

In the drawing A indicates a reciprocable shaft or rack element having two sets of oppositely disposed rack teeth 2 and 3 disposed along its longitudinal sides and between which is formed a longitudinal upwardly projecting rib l, which reinforces the strength of and assists in guiding the shaft. The outer or forward end of this I rib is formed with a raised portion 5 alongthe upper edge of which is a series of serrations or rearwardly facing teeth 6 with which teeth 7 on a cam 8 cooperate to engage and hold a cable, wire or other pulling device, such as 9, which is adapted to be stretched or connected to a stump or other object to be moved. The cam is journaled upon a pair of links 10, which straddle the raised portion 5 of the rib 4L, and are pivotally attached thereto at 11, whereby the cam is adapted to securely engage and hold the cable 9 on said shaft. The cam is formed with a hand lever 12, by which it can be released from or engaged to the cable when desired by a tilting movement.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patgnted Sept 26, 1916 Application filed June 1, 1915.

Serial No. 31,368. V

tightening or pulling effort imparted by the pulling shaft to the pulling cable 9. The holder is formed with a longitudinal passage or groove 17 which closely surrounds the side surfaces of the pulling shaft to permit the latter sliding freely therein, but preventing any normal lateral movement, except for that provided by a longitudinal space 18 below the shaft, which is occupied by a long key 19 normally filling said space, but removable endwise of the holder for purposes to be hereinafter described. This key is formed with a head 20 on its forward end by which it can be thrust into or removed from the holder and a spring pressed pin 21 yieldingly held in a socket 22 on the side of the inner end of the holder engages the inner end of the key in a pin receiving opening 23 to normally look the key against unintentional removal from the holder. The lock pin is yieldingly held depressed by a compression spring 24 and a head 25 on the outer end of the pin is employed for withdrawing the latter out of engagement with the key, so that the key can be removed when desired. The end of the key opposite to the handle 20 is formed with a slanting shoulder 26, which is adapted to slide against the inner end of the lock pin and raise the lock pin whilethe key is sliding home. hen the key reaches innermost or home position, the spring 24 drives the pin into engagement with the key in the opening 23.

The holder is constructed with an enlarged body portion 30 in which a pair of revoluble shafts 31 and 32 disposed on op-- posite sides of the rack bar are journaled. Each of these shafts supports a pinion 33 having straight teeth and a worm gear 84-, the pinion on shaft 31 being adapted to mesh with the teeth such as 2 on one side of the rack or pulling shaft, while the pinion on the other shaft 32 is adapted to mesh with the teeth 3 on the other side of the pulling shaft. The worm gear 34 on each of said revoluble shafts is arranged with its teeth meshing'with the teeth of a corresponding worm pinion 35 ,the teeth of one set being are mounted upon right handed, while the teeth of the other set are left handed, whereby the pinions 33, when the worm pinions 35 are revolved in one direction, impart an outward movement to the rack and when reversed an inward pulling movement. The worm pinions 35 single revoluble drive shaft 36, which is journaled transversely across the body portion of the holder 30, above the pulling shaft. By this construction a sliding effort is imparted evenly by the pinions 33 to the opposite sides of the pulling element simultaneously, thereby obviating any pinching or binding effect and reducing friction of the movable parts to a minimum. Revolving motion is imparted to the shaft 36 by a crank handle 37 or any other suitable means.

The top side of the forward end of the holder is formed with a serrated or rearwardly directed toothed rib 38, with which a second cam 39 cooperates, having rearwardly pointing teeth. 40, which together with the teeth on the rib 38 are adapted to engage and hold the pulling cable 9 when desired. The cam 39 like the corresponding cam 8 is formed with a handle 41, said handle being hinged upon a pair of links 42, which in turn are pivoted at 43 upon the holder, whereby the tighter the pulling effort exerted by the cable 9, the tighter the teeth on the cam and the rib, bite into and hold the cable on the holder. The cable holding means on the pulling shaft and the cable holding means on the holder are in substantially longitudinal alinement.

In use the pulling cable such as 9 or other wire or rod to be stretched or employed for pulling purposes is passed into engaging position below the cams 8 and 39, and the cam 8 turned downwardly with its teeth engaging the part 9 firmly against the teeth 6 on the raised portion 5 of the rib 4:. The handle 37 is then revolved and the pulling shaft thereby moved into the holder by the pinions 33 until the pulling shaft has reached its innermost position and it is desired to take a fresh grip on the pulling cable and continue the pulling movement. Thereupon.

the cam 39 is set with its teeth engaging the cable upon the teeth on the rib 38. The cam 8 is then released, and the pulling shaft which is thus freed moved into outermost position, whereby a fresh grip by the cam 8 upon the pulling cable can be taken, and the cam 39 released. This operation is repeated 1 as oftenas desired until sufficient pulling effort is imparted to the cable to extract a stump or other object or stretch the cable tightly. When desired to hasten the operation. of moving the pulling shaft into outermost position, instead of reversing the revolution of the shaft 33, the key 19 can be withdrawn from the holder and said shaft dropped in the holder until its teeth 2 and 3 disengage from the teeth of pinions 33. hen in this disengaged position the pull ing shaft can be easily moved outwardly, without turning the pinions, and readjusted with its teeth in engagement with the pinions and the key re-inserted in readiness to repeat the operation of tightening or -pull'- ing the cable.- The arrangement of the parts permitting this operation is by positioning the pinions 33 sufliciently high in the passage 17 above the space 18 to allow the teeth on the pulling shaft moving downwardly in the space 18 entirely below the pinions.

This invention is very powerful in the application of a pulling effort to a pulling element such as the cable as compared with the weight and size of the parts employed and the amount of power required is reduced to a minimum by the even application of force to the pulling element.

The invention is applicable for many uses such as extracting stumps from the ground, stretching and tlghtenmg electric wires and cables, the pulling of electric wires and cables through conduits, and for many other purposes for which an exceedingly powerful pulling efiort is required? In accordance with the patent statutes, I

have described the principles of operation of my invention together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof, but I desire to have it understood. that the construction shown is only illustrative and that the in- 1 vention can be carried out by other means and applied to uses other than those above set forth within the scope of thefollowing claims.

Having described my invention, what'l' removably disposed within said holder for maintaining the rack teeth of said shaft inmesh with said gear mechanism, a revoluble shaft journalecl in said holder bywhich said gear mechanism is driven and means for detachably coupling a pulling element either to said slidable shaft or said holder.

2. A puller comprising, in combination, a holder having means for attachment to an object, a shaft provided with rack teeth on opposite faces thereof and slidable within said holder, spaced gears each having a pinion meshing with the rack'teeth on an opposite face of said shaft, a shaft revolubly journaled in said holder having spaced means for simultaneously applying rotative power to each of said gears, and means for detachably coupling a pulling element to said holder.

3. A puller comprising, in combination, a holder having means for attachment to an object, a shaft provided with rack teeth on opposite faces thereof and slidable with in said holder, spaced gears each having a pinion meshing with the rack teeth on an opposite face of said shaft, spaced means within said holder forsimultaneously applying an equal degree of actuating power to each of said gears, and means for de tachably coupling a pulling element to said holder and said shaft.

4. A puller, comprising, in combination, a slidable shaft having on its outer end means for detachably coupling a pulling element thereto and formed with a set of rack teeth on opposite faces thereof, a holder adapted for attachment to a support having a longitudinal passage in which said shaft is reciprocable and means for detachably coupling said pulling element thereto, gear mechanism having pinions meshing with the rack teeth on the opposite faces of said shaft to apply a pulling effort evenly to the opposite sides of said shaft simultaneously, a key longitudinally inserted in said holder below said shaft and permitting when withdrawn from said holder, said shaft moving out of engagement with the teeth of said pinion and moving freely through said passage in said holder, and a revoluble shaft journaled upon said holder adapted when turned to actuate said gear mechanism and apply a pulling effort evenly to the opposite side of said slidable shaft, said holder being formed with means for coupling said pulling element thereto and holding the latter when the coupling element on said slidable shaft is released and said slidable shaft moved into outermost position to reengage said pulling element.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JESSE W. REES.

Witnesses:

STELLA L. VVASCHENBERGER, F. G. BRADBURY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C. 

